Services are pending for Disney songwriting legend Richard M. Sherman, who with his late brother Robert penned some of the entertainment giant’s most popular songs including “It’s a Small World” from the titular theme park ride, and “Chim Chim Cher-ee” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” from the 1964 classic “Mary Poppins.”
Sherman died Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills due to age-related illness, Disney said. He was 95.
A private funeral is scheduled to take place Friday at Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary in Los Angeles, Disney officials said. Plans for a celebration of life will be announced at a later date.
“Richard Sherman was the embodiment of what it means to be a Disney Legend, creating along with his brother Robert the beloved classics that have become a cherished part of the soundtrack of our lives,” Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, said in a statement Saturday. “From films like `Mary Poppins’ and `The Jungle Book’ to attractions like It’s a Small World, the music of the Sherman Brothers has captured the hearts of generations of audiences. We are forever grateful for the mark Richard left on the world, and we extend our deepest condolences to his family.”
Sherman was born in New York City but moved to Beverly Hills with his family in 1937, where he later attended Beverly Hills High School. He majored in music at Bard College and later served as conductor for the U.S. Army band and glee club from 1953-55.
Gene Autry was the first to record a Sherman brothers song with 1951’s “Gold Can Buy You Anything But Love,” and the sibling songwriters got another big break several years later when Annette Funicello recorded their song “Tall Paul.” That tune, which peaked at No. 7 on the charts, caught the attention of Walt Disney, who hired the Sherman brothers as staff songwriters for The Walt Disney Studios.
They wrote songs for feature films including “The Absent-Minded Professor” (1961), “The Parent Trap” (1961), “Summer Magic” (1963), “Mary Poppins” (1964), “Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree” (1966), “The Jungle Book” (1967), “The Happiest Millionaire” (1967), “The Aristocats” (1970), and “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” (1971).
They would ultimately write more than 200 songs for some 27 films and 24 television productions.
They also contributed music for a number of theme park attractions around the world, including “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow,” “The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room,” and “It’s a Small World.” Richard once described the latter tune as “a prayer for peace.”
The brothers returned in the early 1980s to write songs for Disney’s Epcot Center in Orlando and Tokyo Disneyland, including “One Little Spark” and “Meet the World.”
Beyond their work with Disney, the Sherman Brothers provided music, songs and occasional screen plays to such memorable family films as “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (1968), “Snoopy Come Home” (1972), “Charlotte’s Web” (1973), “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” (1973) and “Huckleberry Finn” (1974).
Richard earned nine Academy Award nominations, winning two Oscars for his work on “Mary Poppins.” He also won three Grammy Awards, and received 24 gold and platinum albums over the course of his 65-year career.
Richard and his brother were inducted as Disney Legends in 1990. They were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005, and were awarded the National Medal of the Arts in 2008.
“The Sherman brothers were professional optimists who found a perfect patron in Walt Disney,” film historian Leonard Maltin said. “Their songs had an upbeat outlook that spilled over into Richard’s life, which was not without its troubles and challenges. He was especially proud that he and his brother carried on a songwriting career like their father, who encouraged them early on.”
Robert Sherman died in 2012.
Richard stayed active through his later years, writing new lyrics for the live-action “The Jungle Book” in 2016 and composing three new songs for “Christopher Robin” in 2018.
In 2023, he wrote a new song with composer Fabrizio Mancinelli for Disney Legend Andreas Deja’s 2023 animated short, “Mushka.” Titled “Mushka’s Lullabye,” the song was sung by acclaimed soprano Holly Sedillos.
Richard is survived by his wife of 66 years, Elizabeth; son Gregory and grandsons William and Matthew; daughter Victoria Wolf, son-in-law Doug Wolf, and grandchildren Mandy and Anthony. He is also survived by his daughter from a previous marriage, Lynda Rothstein, as well as her two children and three grandchildren.